AATCC TM124-2018t

Test Method for Smoothness Appearance

of Fabrics after Home Laundering
Developed in 1967 by AATCC Commit- AATCC Three-Dimensional Smoothness 4.4 Manufacturer’s safety recommen-
tee RA61; revised 1969, 1975, 1982, Replicas. Results are reported as a dations should be followed when operat-
1989 (with title change), 1992, 1996, smoothness appearance (SA) grade of 1 ing laboratory testing equipment.
2005, 2006, 2009 (with title change), to 5, with 1 representing the least smooth-
2010, 2011, 2014, January 2018 (with ness and 5 representing the most smooth- 5. Uses and Limitations
title change), November 2018; editori- ness (no wrinkles).
ally revised 1974, 1983, 1985, 1988, 5.1 This test method is designed to be
1991, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2012, June 3. Terminology used only for evaluating the appearance
2018; reaffirmed 1973; editorially re- of washable fabrics after home launder-
vised and reaffirmed 1978, 1984, 2001. 3.1 ballast, n.—in procedures for pro- ing.
Technically equivalent to ISO 7768. cessing or testing of textiles, material that 5.2 In general, it is preferable to con-
is used to bring the total weight or vol- duct the test under relatively severe laun-
ume of the textiles to an amount specified dering conditions. It is recognized that
Foreword in the procedure. special cycles or features are available on
3.2 durable press, adj.—having the current washing machines and dryers to
This test method and its accompanying ability to retain substantially the initial achieve improved performance on certain
three-dimensional smoothness appear- shape, flat seams, pressed-in creases and items; e.g., gentle cycles with reduced
ance replica set were developed for eval- unwrinkled appearance during use and agitation to protect delicately con-
uation of woven fabrics with a durable- after laundering or drycleaning. structed items, and durable press cycles,
press finish. It is common industry prac- 3.3 grade, n.—the number assigned to with cool-down or cold rinses and re-
tice to use the method and scales for eval- a test specimen resulting from compari- duced spin speeds, to minimize wrin-
uation of other textile materials although son to a scale. kling.
some specimens may have different ap- 3.4 laundering, n.—of textile materi- 5.3 Prints and patterns may mask the
pearance characteristics due to different als, a process intended to remove soils mussiness present in fabrics. The evalua-
fabric constructions. and/or stains by treatment (washing) with tion process is, however, based on the vi-
Standard laundering procedures remain an aqueous detergent solution and nor- sual appearance of specimens including
consistent to allow valid comparison of mally including rinsing, extracting and such effects.
results. Standard procedures represent, drying. 5.4 The Smoothness Appearance Rep-
but may not exactly replicate, current 3.5 laundering creases, n.—sharp licas were cast from woven fabrics. It is
consumer practices, which vary over time folds or lines running in any direction in a understood that the replicas do not dupli-
and among households. Alternate laun- washed or dried specimen. cate other fabric possibilities (knits, non-
dering procedures and machine parame- NOTE: Laundering creases are an un- wovens). The replicas are to be used as
ters may be found in AATCC LP1, Labo- intended result of restricted movement of guides that represent various levels of
ratory Procedure for Home Laundering: specimens in a washer or the dryer. fabric smoothness.
Machine Washing, (see 12.3) and ISO 3.6 smoothness appearance, n.—in 5.5 Small specimen sizes will occa-
6330, Textiles — Domestic washing and fabrics, the visual impression of planarity sionally result in wrinkles or creases.
drying procedures for textile testing (see of a specimen quantified by comparison These may not be characteristic of actual
12.8). with a set of reference standards. performance, in use.5.6 The interlabora-
tory reproducibility of the results of this
1. Purpose and Scope 4. Safety Precautions test method depends upon mutual agree-
ment by users of the method on the wash-
1.1 This test method is intended to de- NOTE: These safety precautions are ing and drying conditions as outlined in
termine the smoothness appearance of for information purposes only. The pre- Tables I-IV.
fabrics after being subjected to home cautions are ancillary to the testing proce-
laundering procedures. Several washing dures and are not intended to be all inclu- 6. Apparatus and Materials (12.1)
and drying procedures provide standard sive. It is the user’s responsibility to use
parameters to represent common home safe and proper techniques in handling 6.1 Steam or dry iron with appropriate
care options. materials in this test method. Manufac- fabric temperature settings.
1.2 Any washable fabric (woven, knit- turers MUST be consulted for specific 6.2 Standard washing machine (see Ta-
ted or nonwoven) may be evaluated for details such as material safety data sheets ble I, 12.2), for machine washing.
smoothness appearance using this and other manufacturer’s recommenda- 6.3 Wash tub, 9.5-L, for hand washing.
method. tions. All OSHA standards and rules 6.4 White towels, large enough to ac-
must also be consulted and followed. commodate test specimen, any weight,
2. Principle 4.1 Good laboratory practices should for hand washing.
be followed. Wear safety glasses in all 6.5 Standard tumble dryer (see Table
2.1 Fabric specimens are subjected to laboratory areas. IV, 12.2) or facilities for drip, screen or
standard home laundering practices. Ap- 4.2 Detergent may cause irritation. line drying.
pearance of specimens is evaluated in a Care should be taken to prevent exposure 6.6 Conditioning facilities and condi-
standard viewing area by visually com- to skin and eyes. tioning/drying racks with pull-out, perfo-
paring the specimen smoothness after 4.3 All chemicals should be handled rated shelves (see 12.3).
laundering with grades represented by with care. 6.7 Scale with at least 5-kg or 10-lb ca-

226 AATCC TM124-2018t AATCC Technical Manual/2020

Copyright © 2019 American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists
 8.1.1 Select washing conditions for 8.1.9 Proceed to appropriate drying
testing from Table I. Normal cycle is rec- procedure.
ommended. Set washing machine con- 8.2 Hand Washing.
trols to generate the selected cycle pa- 8.2.1 Select washing temperature from
rameters. Table II. Add 7.6 ± 1.9 L (2.0 ± 0.5 gal)
8.1.2 Load for laundering shall consist of water at this temperature to the wash
of all specimens, plus enough laundering tub.
ballast pieces to make a total load weight 8.2.2 Add 20 ± 1 g of AATCC 1993
of 1.8 ± 0.1 kg (4.0 ± 0.2 lb). For very Standard Reference Detergent to wash tub.
critical evaluation and in arbitration, limit 8.2.3 Agitate by hand to dissolve deter-
the number of specimens per washer load gent.
to those from one sample. 8.2.4 Add specimen(s) to water and
8.1.3 Begin selected wash cycle. Allow gently squeeze to distribute detergent so-
machine to fill to specified water level. lution. Do not twist or wring.
8.1.4 Add 66 ± 1 g of AATCC 1993 8.2.5 Let specimen(s) soak for 2 min.
Fig. 1—AATCC three-dimensional Standard Reference Detergent to washing 8.2.6 Gently squeeze specimen(s) in
smoothness appearance replicas. machine as directed by washing machine detergent solution for 1 min. Do not twist
manufacturer’s instructions. If detergent or wring.
is added directly to wash water, agitate 8.2.7 Repeat 2-min. soak and 1-min
pacity. briefly to dissolve completely. Stop agita- squeeze in detergent solution.
6.8 AATCC 1993 Standard Reference tion before adding wash load. 8.2.8 Remove specimen(s) from wash
Detergent (powder with brightener, see 8.1.5 Add wash load (test specimens tub and gently squeeze to remove excess
12.3). and ballast), distributing evenly around detergent solution. Do not twist or wring.
6.9 Laundering ballast, Type 1 or Type center agitator. Restart wash cycle. 8.2.9 Place specimen(s) on clean white
3 (see Table V). 8.1.6 For specimens to be drip dried towel. Empty and rinse wash tub.
6.10 Evaluation area, as described in (drying procedure C), stop wash cycle 8.2.10 Add 7.6 ± 1.9 L (2.0 ± 0.5 gal)
Appendix A. before the water begins to drain from the of clean water at the specified rinse tem-
6.11 AATCC Three-Dimensional final rinse cycle. Remove specimens perature (see Table II) to the wash tub.
Smoothness Appearance Replicas, set of soaking wet. For specimens to be tumble 8.2.11 Place washed specimen(s) from
six (see Fig. 1 and 12.3). (A), line (B), or screen/flat (D) dried, al- towel in rinse water and gently squeeze to
6.12 Digital imaging system, for speci- low washing to proceed through the final distribute. Do not twist or wring.
men evaluation (optional). spin cycle. 8.2.12 Let specimen(s) soak for 2 min.
8.1.7 After each washing cycle, sepa- 8.2.13 Gently squeeze specimen(s) in
7. Test Specimens
rate tangled specimens and ballast pieces, rinse water for 1 min. Do not twist or
taking care to minimize distortion. wring.
7.1 Cut three 380 × 380 mm (15 × 15 8.1.8 Washer creases. Specimens may 8.2.14 Repeat 2-min. soak and 1-min
in) specimens, sides parallel to the length be in a folded or creased state after wash- squeeze in rinse water.
and width fabric directions. Where possi- ing. Such folds or creases should be re- 8.2.15 Remove specimen(s) from wash
ble, each specimen should contain differ- moved by hand prior to drying. tub and gently squeeze to remove excess
ent groups of lengthwise and widthwise water. Do not twist or wring.
yarns. The specimens should be marked 8.2.16 Using clean white towels, blot
to indicate the lengthwise direction. water from washed specimen(s). Do not
Table II—Standard Hand Washing
7.1.1 If fraying is expected in launder- wring or twist.
and Rinsing Temperatures
ing, see 12.4.
7.1.2 If the fabric is wrinkled, it may Wash Temp, Rinse Temp,
be smoothed by appropriate ironing prior Designation °C (°F) °C (°F)
to laundering. See Table I, Safe Ironing Very Cold 16 ± 3 (60 ± 5) < 18 (< 65)
Table III—Standard Drying Conditions
Temperature Guide, in AATCC TM133, (A) Tumble Dry
Test Method for Colorfastness to Heat: Cold 27 ± 3 (80 ± 5) < 29 (< 85)
(Ai) Tumble Dry Normal
Hot Pressing (see 12.3). Warm 41 ± 3 (105 ± 5) < 29 (< 85) (Aii Tumble Dry Delicate
Hot1 49 ± 3 (120 ± 5) < 29 (< 85) (Aiii) Tumble Dry Permanent Press
8. Laundering Procedure 1
Hot water may not be a reasonable selection for (B) Line/Hang Dry
hand washing or for the delicate items typically requir- (C) Drip Dry
8.1 Machine Washing. ing hand washing. (D) Screen Dry/Dry Flat

Table I—Standard Washing Machine Parameters (see 12.2, 12.7)

Cycle (1) Normal (2) Delicate (3) Permanent Press
Water Level, L (gal) 72 ± 4 (19 ± 1) 72 ± 4 (19 ± 1) 72 ± 4 (19 ± 1)
Agitation Speed, strokes/min. 86 ± 2 27 ± 2 86 ± 2
Washing Time, min. 16 ± 1 8.5 ± 1 12 ± 1
Final Spin Speed, rpm 660 ± 15 500 ± 15 500 ± 15
Final Spin Time, min. 5±1 5±1 5±1
Wash Temp, °C (°F)1 (II) Cold: 27 ± 3 (80 ± 5) (II) Cold: 27 ± 3 (80 ± 5) (II) Cold: 27 ± 3 (80 ± 5)
(III) Warm: 41 ± 3 (105 ± 5) (III) Warm: 41 ± 3 (105 ± 5) (III) Warm: 41 ± 3 (105 ± 5)
(IV) Hot: 49 ± 3 (120 ± 5) (IV) Hot: 49 ± 3 (120 ± 5) (IV) Hot: 49 ± 3 (120 ± 5)
(V) Very Hot: 60 ± 3 (140 ± 5) (V) Very Hot: 60 ± 3 (140 ± 5) (V) Very Hot: 60 ± 3 (140 ± 5)
1
Due to US Department of Energy requirements, many washing machines use cooler water. An external control box may be used to override the machine set temperatures.

AATCC Technical Manual/2020 AATCC TM124-2018t 227

Copyright © 2019 American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists